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Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: none.

The General Medical Council has introduced a generic professional capabilities framework. It includes the need to develop the professional values, actions and aspirations fundamental to becoming a 'dedicated doctor'. The history of psychiatry has potential to facilitate this learning, both by an understanding of content and the ability to think historically.

Until around 1979, 'confused' or mentally unwell people over 65 years of age tended to be labelled as having 'senile dementia'. Senile dementia was usually regarded as a single, inevitably hopeless condition, despite gradually accumulating clinical and pathological evidence to the contrary. Specific psychiatric services for mental illness in older people began to emerge in the 1950s, but by 1969 there were fewer than 10 dedicated services nationally. During the 1970s, 'old age psychiatrists' established local services and campaigned nationally for them. By 1979, about 100 old age psychiatrists were leading multi-disciplinary teams in half the health districts in England. This paper explores the tortuous development of these new services, focusing on provision for people with dementia., (© The Author(s) 2015.)

In the 1940s, some of the most influential psychiatrists of their day such as David K. Henderson and Aubrey Lewis were taking an active interest in the well-being of older people. Spurred on by the fears of a rising population of older people, overcrowding in mental hospitals, social changes and an awareness of the lack of knowledge of older people's mental illnesses, they and others began to explore further the mental health needs of older people. There was a marked change from a predominant interest in neuropathology in older mental hospital patients to emphasis on the need to provide clinical care and treatment for people in the community. The establishment of the new specialty of geriatric medicine and the inception of the National Health Service gave further impetus to service development.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists' antiquarian book collection originated from the library of psychiatrist Daniel Hack Tuke (1827-1895). A proposal to name the collection after him led us to investigate aspects of his life and work, particularly related to his attitudes concerning race, gender and homosexuality. We juxtaposed his ideas with those of some of his contemporaries. We cannot separate psychiatrists, past or present, from the societal and scientific context that shapes their professional understanding and standards. However, changes in language, knowledge, values and other sociocultural factors over time can affect how we perceive our forebears and how future generations of psychiatrists may perceive us. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]